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This study introduces a novel approach to classifying urban structure using land cover and building height. The goal of the study was to improve comparability of urban structure–function relationships across cities through development of a novel classification framework that can facilitate urban studies of ecological patterns and processes. We tested the suitability of the classification in two very different urban settings – continental Berlin and coastal New York City. Using Landsat temperature data as an ecological function variable, we compared how urban structures in both cities relate to temperature. Results show that in both cities a large range of urban structure classes show similar trends with respect to land surface temperature, despite differences in climate and structure of the two cities. We found that approximately 68% of the area of Berlin and 79% of the area of New York City can be represented with the same fifteen urban structure classes. Results indicate that these common classes share very similar temperature patterns and may indicate broader utility of the classification framework. Among the classes which have the most dissimilar temperature trends between the two cities, we find large differences in inner-class composition and neighboring classes. Findings also show that the presence of water has a strong influence on temperature regulation, as classes containing water have the lowest surface temperatures, indicating a need for prioritizing aquatic ecosystems in urban planning and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]